http://tvguide.sympatico.msn.ca/Soaps/Feat...a_evans_OLTL_NB

Take a Bow

By Nelson Branco

2008-11-19

On Nov. 25, soap superstar Andrea Evans wraps up her historic comeback as Tina Lord after an 18-year absence. Will she return to ‘One Life to Live’ or join another soap? Plus: Evans remembers James E. Reilly

TVGuide.ca: Well, it finally happened! After an 18-year absence, you finally returned as my favourite soap character ever, Tina Lord Roberts. Were you happy with how your comeback was handled?

Andrea Evans: Of course. I am fine with my return. You know, it’s very difficult to write a storyline for an actor who is only back for a limited time. Working me into other stories was also a challenge because I was only working two days a week. With the 40th anniversary hoopla, there was a lot of front burner story that needed to play out. Listen, I understand some fans were not happy with Tina’s return. For example, they wanted more interaction with Viki. At the end of the day, I really had a blast. I’m hopeful we can work together again in the near future.

TVG: For the past decade, you’ve been working consistently with memorable stints on The Bold and the Beautiful to Passions, and now on One Life. Are you aching to take a break from acting?

AE: Right now, I’m spending the holidays with my family, which was always the plan. But you’re right — I did go from B&B to Passions to One Life, so some quiet time with my family is what I’m looking forward to.

TVG: Your family must be happy to have you back full time.

AE: I sure hope so! [Laughs] They better! It’s that old joke: Home is where they have to let you in.

TVG: To say I’m envious your family gets to have Andrea Evans all to themselves 24/7, is an understatement. Did you bring your beautiful four-year-old daughter, Kylie Lynn with you to New York when you were taping One Life?

AE: Yes, I did. I didn’t bring Kylie on every trip because that would have been disruptive. You know, she’s in pre-school, but she loves New York. She’s been to New York and the One Life studio many times before. I have lots of friends on the show — from Howie the cameraman, the makeup artist Renata, and [executive producer] Frank Valentini.

TVG: When you first debuted this past June, I got chills seeing you on screen as the soap vixen who captured my imagination as a kid. However, as time progressed, especially during the Mendorra storyline, many viewers, including myself, felt as if Tina wasn’t being written authentically. Do you think Rebecca followed you to Llanview from Harmony?

AE: Tina and Rebecca have a lot of things in common. Rebecca was harder; in may ways, Tina is Rebecca-lite. They’re both vixens. They both use sex to get what they want. They both have their vulnerable sides. So, I think that’s what fans were really seeing.

TVG: This is my take on both characters: Rebecca did all the wrong things for the wrong reasons; Tina does all the wrong things for the right reasons.

AE: Exactly. Tina wants to be a good person. She wants to be like her big sister, Viki. Tina has a heart of gold. She just goes about things the wrong way.

TVG: Tina just wants to be loved, dammit! [Laughs] Unfortunately, I felt that character-defining thread was ignored. However, I realize head writer Ron had a lot on his plate when you returned to reclaim what is rightfully yours.

AE: Yes, Tina is always looking to be loved for who she is, but she doesn’t always trust that she can be, or deserves that love. Also, you have to remember that Tina is Todd’s sister. She’s a [hybrid] of sorts between Todd and Viki. That’s a struggle.

TVG: Speaking of Todd, why wasn’t there more interaction between you and Trevor St. John (Todd)?

AE: We had a couple of scenes. Again, in Ron’s defense, it’s very difficult to bring in a major character in a short amount of time and make it perfect.

TVG: My biggest beef with Ron’s interpretation of Tina was she was stupid in this latest reincarnation; and in my opinion, Tina has never been stupid. My Tina would have wiped the floor clean with that amateur Tess. In the past, Tina has done battle with the likes of Michael Grande, Carlo Hesser, and Gabrielle Medina. In fact, Tina taught Gabrielle everything she knew.

AE: Listen, I can only act what is on the page, Nelson. When actors start to give opinions on story or character, they set themselves up for disappointment. I have never been upset over a story in my career. My job is to make whatever I’m given work. I know in the Tessica storyline, I worked very hard to explain why Tina was behaving the way she was through my performance.

TVG: Despite the dodgy writing, I would still urge you to submit yourself for Daytime Emmy Award consideration as outstanding supporting actress. You delivered some of your strongest work when Tina had to watch in horror as Sarah went over the falls, reuniting with Cord, and delivering Little David Vickers’ puppies. The latter story was a nice nod to Tina’s adventurous births.

AE: Thank you. I’m glad you got the Little David Vickers’ birth beat. I tried to bring as much of Tina as I could in those moments.

TVG: Tina’s always been defined by the men in her life. This time around, Tina’s romantic life was practically non-existent.

AE: It was wonderful to play Tina and Cord once again for those few days. Tina and Cord picked up where they left off, as did John Loprieno and I. I also enjoyed working with Chris Cousins [Cain]. Our scenes were a lot of fun. We never acted together before, but we felt like we had.

TVG: Were you bummed out about not acting with Mr. Scene Stealer himself, Tuc Watkins [David]?

AE: [sighs] I know. I was disappointed about that. I would love to work with Tuc, and hopefully one day we will. Instead, I got the next best thing, David Vickers the dog! You know what was funny about that? I got so much mail asking why Tina didn’t realize David was a she and not a he! “Didn’t you realize he was female when Little David Vickers didn’t lift his leg up to pee,” they’d ask. But you know what? I have a six-year old golden retriever dog who has never lifted his leg.

TVG: I never do, either. Did you ever get tired of saying, “Little David Vickers” over and over again?

AE: [Giggles] That’s funny. I tried to cut it down as much as I could. The whole storyline was fun, though. I thought it was hysterical when Little David Vickers was lost, the real David Vickers found him!

TVG: What was your last day like on the One Life set?

AE: You know, it wasn’t sad actually. I had the best and most wonderful experience being back on One Life. I cannot thank Frank, Ron and [ABC chief] Brian Frons enough for welcoming me back to the show. I always anticipated at one point in my life I would return to the show. And I wanted to come back for myself, as well as for my fans. I was thrilled that my return finally happened.

TVG: Your comeback elicited a lot of mainstream press and attention from such media outlets as People magazine and Entertainment Tonight.

AE: I’ve always been good at getting press! [Laughs] I was very happy with the attention. I have a great publicist, Paul Shefrin, who has been with me since forever. Truly, he is the best in the business. I always have a lot of non-soap, charity projects on the go, so he’s been wonderful helping me promote my passions on and offscreen.

TVG: Your latest altruistic project is partnering up with Lather, a skin care company. As City of Hope’s celebrity ambassador, you and Lather have created various specialty soap bars to benefit City of Hope’s breast cancer research with proceeds.

AE: It’s called Soap For Hope. The bars are eight dollars, and five dollars from each sale goes directly to City of Hope. No one makes a dime off of this — all the money goes to our charity. Fans have been wonderful. We’ve already sold out once, and with the holidays coming up, I hope we sell out again. It’s hard to find somebody who isn’t affected by breast cancer in some way or another. One in eight women get breast cancer in their lifetime.

TVG: I always thought it would be interesting to see how Tina would deal with breast cancer if she was ever diagnosed. Would you be psyched to take on that artistic challenge?

AE: I would love that challenge. I know Viki had breast cancer, so it does run in the Lord family. If Tina learned she had breast cancer, it would play out so differently because of her psychosis and personality. Tina’s first concern would be how she’d look. And that’s a grave concern with many women. If we approached it from that angle, it would be intriguing to play as an actor. Breasts are so important to a woman’s sexuality, and if Tina had to face losing them, well, it would be a dream storyline to see how she would survive a crisis she couldn’t manipulate. It would be fabulous.

TVG: Last year when we spoke, you noted one of the reasons it was important for you to return to One Life was to seek closure from the stalker scandal that unfortunately forced you to leave the business altogether to ensure your safety. Did you find that closure?

AE: Yes, I did. I think that was my most important goal in coming back to One Life. It was a horrific event and time in my life. Without a doubt, I found closure. Thank you for asking.

TVG: Have you received offers from other soaps yet? I’d kill to see you reunite with Paul Rauch [One Life’s former executive producer] on daytime’s best show, The Young and the Restless. You could reprise Patty or Tawny. Would you consider joining another soap?

AE: I consider everything. I would never say never to doing another soap. I would assume the only problem with Y&R would be trying to settle why Patti and Tawny look like the same person!

TVG: You could play a dual role…

AE: I would love to work on Y&R again. I have a beautiful working relationship and association with the Bell family. I enjoyed both my times on Y&R and B&B. It’s funny because I called Paul a month ago to congratulate him on his new job as Y&R’s executive producer. I’m thrilled he’s back on daytime. Paul’s one of the best producers we have in this business.

TVG: Paul’s always reminded me of those classic Hollywood movie studio honchos that don’t exist anymore. Was Paul happy to learn you finally returned to One Life as Tina?

AE: As you know, this is a small business, and all the producers know each other. So yes, he was happy for me. Frank and Paul just had lunch, so he knew. I even speak to Gary Tomlin [Days of our Lives’ co-executive producer] all the time, so you never know what will happen. Frank and I have also talked about me returning to One Life. I’m just happy to be back home for the holidays.

TVG: To be clear — was it your decision to leave One Life?

AE: It was. The contract simply ended. They wanted me to stay for a much longer period of time but as a family, we cannot relocate because of my husband’s [stephen Rodriguez] job. Also, my life is on the west coast. My daughter comes first, so I simply need to live in L.A. I also want to be a full-time mom while she’s young. Having said that, I cannot say how many times Frank and Ron went over-and-beyond accommodating my schedule. I’m indebted to them.

TVG: Well, you are Andrea Evans!

AE: Well, thank you, but seriously, I’ve never seen a soap be so accommodating to an actor in all my years of working in daytime.

TVG: For three months, Tina and Rebecca aired concurrently. Do you miss Passions?

AE: I do. I still have very fond memories of Passions. I still keep in touch with Liza Huber [Gwen], who has had her second baby, as well as Kim Ulrich [ivy].

TVG: How do you feel about soap legend James E. Reilly’s shocking passing?

AE: I was very saddened to hear about James’ passing. He was an important and unique voice in daytime. Years ago, I was visiting the DAYS set and met James. Of course, this was before Passions was on the air. James interrupted and introduced himself. He said, “I’m sorry but I have to introduce myself, because I am a huge fan of yours. Hopefully, one day I’ll be lucky enough to write for you.” James was so gracious and wonderful. His stories were campy, but I loved that because I naturally lean that way as an actress. He knew how to write for me because I love playing larger-than-life characters.

TVG: He clearly had impeccable taste.

Edited November 19, 200817 yr by Y&RWorldTurner

She's all class, and much much smarter than the people she plays. I hope she does come back soon.

That was such a great interview! Loved it!

I think Gary will have her on DOOL.

Thanks for posting.

What a great interview. Andrea is such a class act. I'm gonna miss her.

She's a smart lady, she plays the PR game just perfectly. She's also a good actress, the writing, however, was terrible. She'd be great back at B&B...

She's a smart lady, she plays the PR game just perfectly.

Yep. She made Nelson look like an ass for constantly trying to get her to bash Carlivati.

Love Andrea, can't stand Nelson. I wasn't a fan of the whole thing with Tina either because the story was just...ugh...but damn, he wasn't missing any opportunity to throw mud on Carlivati at all! Such a baby, he is.

I even speak to Gary Tomlin [Days of our Lives’ co-executive producer] all the time, so you never know what will happen.

Yeah......she is so coming to DAYS (recurring of course).

AE: I was very saddened to hear about James’ passing. He was an important and unique voice in daytime. Years ago, I was visiting the DAYS set and met James. Of course, this was before Passions was on the air. James interrupted and introduced himself. He said, “I’m sorry but I have to introduce myself, because I am a huge fan of yours. Hopefully, one day I’ll be lucky enough to write for you.” James was so gracious and wonderful. His stories were campy, but I loved that because I naturally lean that way as an actress. He knew how to write for me because I love playing larger-than-life characters.

That's a nice story to share with us. I'm not surprised Reilly watched OLTL.

She's not going to Days.

They can't even begin to figure [!@#$%^&*] like that out right now.

They can't walk and chew gum at the same time. If she goes anywhere it'll be back to OLTL.

Edited November 20, 200817 yr by Vee

Has she got a four year old daughter?, isnt`t she in her mid fifties?

She is a beautiful woman and the the interwiew was funny to read. Thanks!.

AE would be great on GH as the not quite dead Mrs Zacharra. Plus it would be nice to see someone with actual talent on that show, and screen presence and charisma.

they cant even afford wardrobe and makeup and hairstyle what makes them think they can afford top actors like her! speaking of days of course.

Judith Chapman's contract runs out early in 2009. If she decides not to re-sign or Gloria gets written off to jail for a while, I could definitely see Y&R trying to sign Evans as Patty/Tawny.

I do love her. Her whole interview was a class act. That was a nice memory she shared about JER. I liked how she called him James.

Has she got a four year old daughter?, isnt`t she in her mid fifties?

Adopted daughter.